1 Corinthians 6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Lawsuits among Believers
6 If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court(A) before the unrighteous,[a] and not before the saints? 2 Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? 4 So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those[b] who have no standing(B) in the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame!(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?(D) 6 Instead, believer[c] goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers!(E)
7 Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you.(F) Why not rather put up with injustice?(G) Why not rather be cheated?(H) 8 Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! 9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous(I) will not inherit God’s kingdom?(J) Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,(K) adulterers,(L) or anyone practicing homosexuality,[d](M) 10 no thieves,(N) greedy(O) people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,(P) or swindlers(Q) will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this.(R) But you were washed, you were sanctified,(S) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Glorifying God in Body and Spirit
12 “Everything is permissible(T) for me,”[e] but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. 13 “Food(U) for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.[f] The body is not for sexual immorality(V) but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.(W) 15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body?(X) So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.(Y)[g] 17 But anyone joined(Z) to the Lord is one spirit(AA) with Him.
18 Run(AB) from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.”[h] On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral(AC) sins against his own body. 19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary(AD) of the Holy Spirit(AE) who is in you,(AF) whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought(AG) at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.[i]
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 6:1 Unbelievers; v. 6
- 1 Corinthians 6:4 Or life, appoint those (as a command)
- 1 Corinthians 6:6 Lit brothers
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 Lit adulterers, passive homosexual partners, active homosexual partners
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 The words in quotation marks are most likely slogans used by some Corinthian Christians and corrected by Paul.
- 1 Corinthians 6:13 Lit both it and them
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gn 2:24
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 See note at 1Co 6:12-13.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 Other mss add and in your spirit, which belong to God.
1 Corinthians 6
New King James Version
Do Not Sue the Brethren
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the (A)saints? 2 Do you not know that (B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall (C)judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have [a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. (D)Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. (E)Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [b]homosexuals, nor [c]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were (F)some of you. (G)But you were washed, but you were [d]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit
12 (H)All things are lawful for me, but all things are not [e]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of [f]any. 13 (I)Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for (J)sexual immorality but (K)for the Lord, (L)and the Lord for the body. 14 And (M)God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up (N)by His power.
15 Do you not know that (O)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For (P)“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 (Q)But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 (R)Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins (S)against his own body. 19 Or (T)do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, (U)and you are not your own? 20 For (V)you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [g]and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 6:4 courts
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 catamites, those submitting to homosexuals
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 male homosexuals
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 set apart
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 profitable
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 Or anything
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 NU omits the rest of v. 20.
1 Corinthians 6
English Standard Version
Lawsuits Against Believers
6 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous (A)instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that (B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, (C)why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 (D)I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. (E)Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even (F)your own brothers![a]
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: (G)neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And (H)such were some of you. But (I)you were washed, (J)you were sanctified, (K)you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Flee Sexual Immorality
12 (L)“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 (M)“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one (N)and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but (O)for the Lord, and (P)the Lord for the body. 14 And (Q)God raised the Lord and (R)will also raise us up (S)by his power. 15 Do you not know that (T)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined[d] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, (U)“The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord (V)becomes one spirit with him. 18 (W)Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[e] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person (X)sins against his own body. 19 Or (Y)do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? (Z)You are not your own, 20 (AA)for you were bought with a price. (AB)So glorify God in your body.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 6:8 Or brothers and sisters
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 Or wrongdoers
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 Or who holds fast (compare Genesis 2:24 and Deuteronomy 10:20); also verse 17
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 Or Every sin
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
